EAST GERMANY: Hyenic Laughter

The pinnacle of hyenic humor was the
hyena, the classic hyena, that hit too jar back while running, would
circle madly, snapping and tearing at himself until he pulled his own
intestines out, and then stood there, jerking them out and eating them
with relish.

Ernest Hemingway in The Green Hills of Africa The only other animal
known to man as a self-devourer is the Communist Party, which, from
time to time, may be observed consuming its own entrails. Last week in
East Germany, the hyena jaws were relishing a larger mouthful than
usual: Franz Dahlem, No. 3 German Communist....